Image by Author | Canva

Pandas and SQL are both effective for data analysis, but what if we could merge their power? With pandasql, you can write SQL queries directly within a Jupyter notebook. This integration seamlessly enables us to blend SQL logic with Python for effective data analysis.

In this article, we will use both pandas and SQL together on a data project from Uber. Let’s get started!

# What Is pandasql?

 
Pandasql can be integrated with any DataFrame through an in-memory SQLite engine, so you can write pure SQL inside a Python environment.

# Advantages of Using Pandas and SQL Together

SQL is useful for easily filtering rows, aggregating data, or applying multi-condition logic.
Python, on the other hand, offers advanced tools for statistical analysis and custom computations, as well as set-based operations, which extend beyond SQL’s capabilities.
When used together, SQL simplifies data selection, while Python adds analytical flexibility.

# How to Run pandasql Inside a Jupyter Notebook?

 
To run pandasql inside a Jupyter Notebook, start with the following code.

import pandas as pd
from pandasql import sqldf
run = lambda q: sqldf(q, globals())

Next, you can run your SQL code like this:

run("""
SELECT *
FROM df
LIMIT 10;
""")

We will use the SQL code without showing the run function each time in this article.
 

 

Let’s see how using SQL and Pandas together works in a real-life project from Uber.

# Real-World Project: Analyzing Uber Driver Performance Data

Image by Author

In this data project, Uber asks us to analyze driver performance data and evaluate bonus strategies.

// Data Exploration and Analytics

Now, let’s explore the datasets. First, we will load the data.

// Initial Dataset Loading

Let’s load the dataset by using just pandas.

import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
df = pd.read_csv('dataset_2.csv')

// Exploring the Data

Now let’s review the dataset.

The output looks like this:
 

 

Now we have a glimpse of the data.
As you can see, the dataset includes each driver’s name, the number of trips they completed, their acceptance rate (i.e., the percentage of trip requests accepted), total supply hours (the total hours spent online), and their average rating.
Let’s verify the column names before starting the data analysis so we can use them correctly.

Here is the output.

As you can see, our dataset has five different columns, and there are no missing values.
Let’s now answer the questions using both SQL and Python.

# Question 1: Who Qualifies for Bonus Option 1?

 
In the first question, we are asked to determine the total bonus payout for Option 1, which is:

$50 for each driver that is online at least 8 hours, accepts 90% of requests, completes 10 trips, and has a rating of 4.7 or better during the time frame.

// Step 1: Filtering the Qualifying Drivers with SQL (pandasql)

In this step, we will start using pandasql.

In the following code, we have selected all drivers who meet the conditions for the Option 1 bonus using the WHERE clause and the AND operator for linking multiple conditions. To learn how to use WHERE and AND, refer to this documentation.

opt1_eligible = run("""
    SELECT Name                -- keep only a name column for clarity
    FROM   df
    WHERE  `Supply Hours`    >=  8
      AND  `Trips Completed` >= 10
      AND  `Accept Rate`     >= 90
      AND  Rating            >= 4.7;
""")
opt1_eligible

Here is the output.

// Step 2: Finishing in Pandas

After filtering the dataset using SQL with pandasql, we switch to Pandas to perform numerical calculations and finalize the analysis. This hybrid technique, which combines SQL and Python, enhances both readability and flexibility.

Next, using the following Python code, we calculate the total payout by multiplying the number of qualified drivers (using len()) by the $50 bonus per driver. Check out the documentation to see how you can use the len() function.

payout_opt1 = 50 * len(opt1_eligible)
print(f"Option 1 payout: ${payout_opt1:,}")

Here is the output.

# Question 2: Calculating the Total Payout for Bonus Option 2

 
In the second question, we are asked to find the total bonus payout using Option 2:

$4/trip for all drivers who complete 12 trips, and have a 4.7 or better rating.

// Step 1: Filtering the Qualifying Drivers with SQL (pandasql)

First, we use SQL to filter for drivers who meet the Option 2 criteria: completing at least 12 trips and maintaining a rating of 4.7 or higher.

# Grab only the rows that satisfy the Option-2 thresholds
opt2_drivers = run("""
    SELECT Name,
           `Trips Completed`
    FROM   df
    WHERE  `Trips Completed` >= 12
      AND  Rating            >= 4.7;
""")
opt2_drivers.head()

Here’s what we get.

// Step 2: Finishing the Calculation in Pure Pandas

Now let’s perform the calculation using Pandas. The code computes the total bonus by summing the Trips Completed column with sum() and then multiplying the result by the $4 bonus per trip.

total_trips   = opt2_drivers["Trips Completed"].sum()
option2_bonus = 4 * total_trips
print(f"Total trips: {total_trips},  Option-2 payout: ${option2_bonus}")

Here is the result.

# Question 3: Identifying Drivers Who Qualify for Option 1 But Not Option 2

 
In the third question, we are asked to count the number of drivers who qualify for Option 1 but not for Option 2.

// Step 1: Building Two Eligibility Tables with SQL (pandasql)

In the following SQL code, we create two datasets: one for drivers who meet the Option 1 criteria and another for those who meet the Option 2 criteria.

# All Option-1 drivers
opt1_drivers = run("""
    SELECT Name
    FROM   df
    WHERE  `Supply Hours`    >=  8
      AND  `Trips Completed` >= 10
      AND  `Accept Rate`     >= 90
      AND  Rating            >= 4.7;
""")

# All Option-2 drivers
opt2_drivers = run("""
    SELECT Name
    FROM   df
    WHERE  `Trips Completed` >= 12
      AND  Rating            >= 4.7;
""")

// Step 2: Using Python Set Logic to Spot the Difference

Next, we will use Python to identify the drivers who appear in Option 1 but not in Option 2, and we will use set operations for that.

Here is the code:

only_opt1 = set(opt1_drivers["Name"]) - set(opt2_drivers["Name"])
count_only_opt1 = len(only_opt1)

print(f"Drivers qualifying for Option 1 but not Option 2: {count_only_opt1}")

Here is the output.

By combining these methods, we leverage SQL for filtering and Python’s set logic for comparing the resulting datasets.

# Question 4: Finding Low-Performance Drivers with High Ratings

 
In question 4, we are asked to determine the percentage of drivers who completed fewer than 10 trips, had an acceptance rate below 90%, and still maintained a rating of 4.7 or higher.

// Step 1: Pulling the Subset with SQL (pandasql)

In the following code, we select all drivers who have completed fewer than 10 trips, have an acceptance rate of less than 90%, and hold a rating of at least 4.7.

low_kpi_df = run("""
    SELECT *
    FROM   df
    WHERE  `Trips Completed` < 10
      AND  `Accept Rate`     < 90
      AND  Rating            >= 4.7;
""")
low_kpi_df

Here is the output.

// Step 2: Calculating the Percentage in Plain Pandas

In this step, we will use Python to calculate the percentage of such drivers.

We simply divide the number of filtered drivers by the total driver count, then multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

Here is the code:

num_low_kpi   = len(low_kpi_df)
total_drivers = len(df)
percentage    = round(100 * num_low_kpi / total_drivers, 2)

print(f"{num_low_kpi} out of {total_drivers} drivers ⇒ {percentage}%")

Here is the output.
 

 

# Question 5: Calculating Annual Profit Without Partnering With Uber

 
In the fifth question, we need to calculate the annual income of a taxi driver without partnering with Uber, based on the given cost and revenue parameters.

// Step 1: Pulling Yearly Revenue and Expenses with SQL (pandasql)

By using SQL, we first calculate yearly revenue from daily fares and subtract expenses for gas, rent, and insurance.

taxi_stats = run("""
SELECT
    200*6*(52-3)                      AS annual_revenue,
    ((200+500)*(52-3) + 400*12)       AS annual_expenses
""")
taxi_stats

Here is the output.
 

 

// Step 2: Deriving Profit and Margin with Pandas

In the next step, we will use Python to compute the profit and margin the drivers get when not partnering with Uber.

rev  = taxi_stats.loc[0, "annual_revenue"]
cost = taxi_stats.loc[0, "annual_expenses"]

profit  = rev - cost
margin  = round(100 * profit / rev, 2)

print(f"Revenue  : ${rev:,}")
print(f"Expenses : ${cost:,}")
print(f"Profit   : ${profit:,}    (margin: {margin}%)")

Here’s what we get.

# Question 6: Calculating the Required Fare Increase to Maintain Profitability

 
In the sixth question, we assume that the same driver decides to buy a Town Car and partner with Uber.

The gas expenses increase by 5%, insurance decreases by 20%, and rental costs are eliminated, but the driver needs to cover the $40,000 cost of the car. We are asked to calculate how much this driver’s weekly gross fares must increase in the first year to both pay off the car and maintain the same annual profit margin.

// Step 1: Building the New One-Year Expense Stack with SQL

In this step, we will use SQL to calculate the new one-year expenses with adjusted gas and insurance and no rental fees, plus the car cost.

new_exp = run("""
SELECT
    40000             AS car,
    200*1.05*(52-3)   AS gas,        -- +5 %
    400*0.80*12       AS insurance   -- –20 %
""")
new_cost = new_exp.sum(axis=1).iloc[0]
new_cost

Here is the output.
 

 

// Step 2: Calculating the Weekly Fare Increase with Pandas

Next, we use Python to calculate how much more the driver must earn per week to preserve that margin after buying the car.

# Existing values from Question 5
old_rev    = 58800
old_profit = 19700
old_margin = old_profit / old_rev
weeks      = 49

# new_cost was calculated in the previous step (54130.0)

# We need to find the new revenue (new_rev) such that the profit margin remains the same:
# (new_rev - new_cost) / new_rev = old_margin
# Solving for new_rev gives: new_rev = new_cost / (1 - old_margin)
new_rev_required = new_cost / (1 - old_margin)

# The total increase in annual revenue needed is the difference
total_increase = new_rev_required - old_rev

# Divide by the number of working weeks to get the required weekly increase
weekly_bump = round(total_increase / weeks, 2)

print(f"Required weekly gross-fare increase = ${weekly_bump}")

Here’s what we get.
 

 

# Conclusion

 
Bringing together the strengths of SQL and Python, primarily through pandasql, we solved six different problems.

SQL helps in quick filtering and summarizing structured datasets, while Python is good at advanced computation and dynamic manipulation.

Throughout this analysis, we leveraged both tools to simplify the workflow and make each step more interpretable.
 
 

Nate Rosidi is a data scientist and in product strategy. He’s also an adjunct professor teaching analytics, and is the founder of StrataScratch, a platform helping data scientists prepare for their interviews with real interview questions from top companies. Nate writes on the latest trends in the career market, gives interview advice, shares data science projects, and covers everything SQL.